On Higgins and grants, Labor must earn a reputation for transparency – not just declare it

Anthony Albanese’s frustration with the opposition’s continued attacks over what Katy Gallagher knew on the Higgins allegations is palpable, writes Paul Karp. Photograph: Flavio Brancaleone/AAP

The election of a new government is supposed to be a new broom, brushing aside past controversies in favour of renewed focus on more pressing problems – problems like the cost of living crisis and stubborn inflation, which this week pushed the Reserve Bank to increase interest rates for the 12th consecutive time.

But instead this week the Albanese government was dragged back to debates of the 46th parliament as the ghosts of the past haunted its attempts to move on from the Morrison era.